A Librarian slams the PATRIOT Act

Jessamyn (of Jessamyn.com and Naked Librarians) writes about the effects of the Patriot Act on libraries: "The USAPA creates an entirely new class of prosecutable criminal: librarians who tell the truth."

Libraries who have been visited by the FBI can't mention that fact AFTER the visit, but many libraries and library systems are becoming pro-active and getting ready in case the feds do come to the door. To this end they have begun making staff and patrons aware of the Act and its implications. Some of them have begun tweaking their systems for greater patron privacy: tossing out Internet terminal sign-up lists at the end of the day; not requiring a card number or allowing pseudonymous Internet signups; removing patron borrowing records once a book has been returned; and in some cases, working within their communities to pass resolutions against the PATRIOT Act and pledging non-compliance in advance.